Concord, New Hampshire, Nov. 7 – Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has won re-election, defeating Democratic challenger Molly Kelly for New Hampshire’s governorship.
In the weeks prior to the election, Sununu made new commitments on jobs for people with disabilities in a proclamation sent to RespectAbility in October in honor of Disability Employment Awareness Month. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities.
“People with disabilities bring a diverse array of talent, vision, and skill to their place of work, their communities, and our state,” said Sununu in the proclamation. “With a growing economy, businesses need talented employees to meet their needs and workplaces that welcome the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, and help to create more inclusive workplaces and a stronger economy.”
This proclamation comes after a year of steady job growth. Last year, people with disabilities gained 1,335 jobs in New Hampshire. In total, there are 88,094 working-age people living with disabilities in New Hampshire. That total includes people who are blind or deaf or have other visible conditions such as spinal cord injuries, as well as people with invisible disabilities including learning disabilities, mental health or Autism.
Among them, 36,745, or 41.7 percent have jobs. According to RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works to fight stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities, New Hampshire ranks 15th compared to the rest of the country.
Earlier this year Sununu signed SB 590 into law, which appropriated nearly $5.4 million to reducing rehabilitation waiting lists for patients with developmental disabilities. The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript reported that the bill “provides up to $410,000 in funding for the state loan repayment program for participants that agree to work in state for three years, up to $3.4 million to establish one behavioral health crisis treatment center and one mobile crisis team and related apartments, and up to $500,000 to contract with programs that “enable individuals with serious mental illness to attain and maintain integrated, affordable, supported housing.”
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